Kyle Busch served notice Saturday that his 21-win 2008 season was no fluke.
He overcame a transmission missing half its gears to defeat Kevin Harvick in a late-race shootout and win the American Commercial Line 200 Camping World Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
It was his fourth overall win this season — two in trucks, one in the Nationwide Series and another in Sprint Cup. It also was his fourth win in five career truck starts at AMS.
Like many of his 11 career wins in the truck series, Saturday’s came in dramatic fashion. He lost third gear with about 50 laps remaining, and when it came to the race’s final restart, he had also lost high gear, meaning he had to start in fourth gear then tap the clutch occasionally to keep his truck accelerating.
Click Here For More NASCAR Photos
“When our transmission broke, we didn’t have quite the advantage we thought we did,” Busch said. “We just had to lug along. ... If we would’ve had second or third gear it might have been a little boring for the fans, we might have just pulled away.”
Instead Busch battled Kevin Harvick and Terry Cook in the final few laps before he and Harvick separated. Then Busch blocked Harvick all the way to the finish.
Daytona champ Todd Bodine finished third and said he will not race the next event in Martinsville on March 28 if his team lacks a sponsor.
Harvick, who finished second, called his pit stops “atrocious.”
Busch, a Sprint Cup star who started from the pole, has been dominating the Camping World Truck Series. He finished second in the season opener at Daytona and has won the last two races, adding to his victory at California two weeks ago.
| 
|